


Spellbook

by ramuda



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, M/M, Still Gay, Theyre gay, not as gay as i wanted it to be but
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-27 08:16:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13876857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ramuda/pseuds/ramuda
Summary: A collection of spellbooks build up on the floor, the worn leather creating a carpet on the dirty wooden floor.





	Spellbook

**Author's Note:**

> THIS IS A GIFT FOR MY GOOD FRIEND CARL!! i love them a lot. the mmk god

Mao sighs in defeat and falls back to the floor, leaning over to clasp the same book he’s reread seemingly hundreds of times. His eyes scan the cover briefly, as if it’s something brand new for him to discover. Maybe if he reads it one more time, it’ll work.

“I-Isara-kun?! Are you okay?” Makoto asks, slightly faltering with his glasses and pushing his stool to the ground as he runs to help. He looks around for a moment, seeing the green splotches speckled over Mao’s arms, and how the bags under his eyes seem to have only grown in the past few days. “Did it not work again…?” He asks, watching Mao’s face contort from utter disappointment to a facade of optimism. “You know, I just have to keep trying, there’s only so many ways it could go wr-“

Makoto frowned, bunching his eyebrows together in though. His eyes surveyed Mao, lying helplessly on the floor, hands clutched over a worn book. Had the undereye bags gotten worse in the few days since Mao had began working on the spell again? His hair would start greying if he didn’t let himself rest for a while! Makoto leaned over, snatching the book out of Mao’s shaken hands, bringing it over to the distressed wooden bar table.

“Hey..” Mao groaned, propping himself up with his elbow and wiping some sweat off of his forehead. He watched as Makoto curiosity put one finger on the cover, stroking it light as a feather. His hand moved gently as he opened the spellbook, treating it as if it were a thin sheet of glass and not the disheveled leather it truly was. His eyes lit up magically at the sight of words on a page, and after a brief scan he tapped his chin in thought.

“You know,” He began, staring into the distance, most likely at a shelf filled with tiny bottles and miscellaneous elements. “I always see you holding this book, but I’ve never been able to see what’s inside of it.” He softly smiled, looking back down at the book and turning to another page. Each page described something new, elements that Makoto never heard of, words that didn’t even make sense to his head. Is this what Mao had spent the past months trying to comprehend? If this is one book, what lies in the rest; strewn all over the floor, their pages tinted golden from use?

Mao pushed himself onto his feet, walking over and pulling out a stool from beneath the counter. He tousled his hair a bit, not as if he had anybody to look great for, and rested his head on his hand. He watched as Makoto scanned every page, his face contorting in confusion every once in a while before turning to the next. Mao wondered if this is what Makoto saw in him, a sort-of childish curiosity, each time he learned something new a look of wonder on his face. 

Though, recently, it seems as if the curiosity died. He was going through the same motions, carefully following each step in the spellbook. Every single day, over, and over, and over, and… Perhaps Makoto was what he needed? The help of somebody untainted, unknowing to the hardships of a battle. 

“Makoto…” Mao groaned, dropping his head to the table. 

“I-Isara-kun..!” Makoto gasped, putting the back of his hand to Mao’s forehead. “You need to stop worrying me! I’m going to start to force a bedtime onto you!” He pouted, closing the spellbook beside him. “Your work is important, and you’re talented, but you need to take care of yourself!”

“I know, I know..” Mao dismissively waved his hand and sighed. When was the last time he had gotten a full night of sleep after all? He shut his eyes momentarily, allowing himself to bask in the warmth of rest. Maybe it was okay sometimes, to take a break, to let himself relax…

He felt his hair being softly stroked, his bangs being pushed back out of his face. A soft hum echoed through the room, and Mao recognised it as a lullaby he’s heard before. He feels the pull of sleep becoming stronger on him, he’s being pulled under, and he’s so calm that he doesn’t even care. 

Makoto's fingertips softly brush against his forehead, the gentle humming becoming more of a background noise. With Makoto’s warmth next to him, and the calling of rest beckoning him in, he forgets all about the spellbook sitting under Makoto’s elbow, and the amount of testing he’ll have to do when he wakes up. He thinks about how he knows Makoto will be by his side, the look of wonder acting as if everything is a new discovery. His last bit of sleepy energy is spent on a grin, as Mao softly drifts off into a peaceful slumber.


End file.
